Truths LC and Stephen
by niktar
Summary: Laguna Beach A story of the two friends who have drifted apart and are trying to find their way back...and maybe love?
1. Memories

I couldn't help writing this story after I saw last week's episode because all of a sudden I just got a great idea for a story. But be forewarned I haven't seen the first season of LB so some of my history might not go with the show exactly. This story begins around last week's episode, the one where LC went to SF, and from there will not go with what happens on the show. Hope you guys like it. (I actually wrote this a while ago but I couldn't find anywhere to post it where people gave me any feedback or responded so I hope you guys will.)

_**-As memory may be a paradise from which we cannot be driven, it may also be a hell from which we cannot escape-**_

LC and Stephen had been best friends for years and in all that time they had crossed the very fine line between friendship and something more a number of times, beginning during their senior year. The first time he had kissed her was when they were looking through her yearbook for someone she could date and the night of her last birthday when they had done slightly more than kiss since they were both a little inebriated had been the last. But each time nothing had changed, not outwardly anyway and they had never attempted to have an actual relationship.

As far as LC was concerned Stephen was still hung up on Kristen and he might always be. She couldn't really understand what exactly Stephen saw in her or why he continued to keep in touch with her. It was probably only in hopes that they would eventually get back together. Which further confused her because when they had been together Kristen had cheated on him and he had spent a great deal of time miserable, feeling that he loved her more than she loved him and finally wondering if she actually loved him at all.

If she was honest with herself she'd admit that she had feelings for Stephen that were more than platonic, at least she used to. She wasn't sure how she felt about him now. But there had been a time, in between the first kiss and the last kiss, when she had realized exactly how much he meant to her and how much she wished there was a chance for them to be more than just friends.

That time had passed though and she had been understandably hurt when he continued pining over Kristen after their first kiss and crushed when he had chosen not to discuss what had happened on her birthday at all. Then she had talked to Talan and found out about when Stephen had come down to take Kristen out for Valentine's Day. And that had been it, the final straw. The nail in the coffin.

She finally realized that she was tired of being Stephen's consolation prize, the one he came running to when things didn't work out for him with Kristen. She was through being used by him and tired of him pretending like he didn't notice that he was continually stringing her along and playing with her emotions all in the name of friendship.

Which is why she had promised herself that she would move on and close that chapter of her life. She wouldn't waste her time, energy or tears on Stephen. Not after he had lied to her and withheld information. They had always been honest with one another, if nothing else, and to know that he had deliberately deceived her had been unsettling. Not that she would've been happy to hear it from him but at least then she wouldn't have felt as manipulated.

Then as luck would have it, just as she was beginning to think that she might really have a chance to get over him once and for all she found out she was going to be going to San Francisco for a day with her boss. She had been excited for the opportunity but also scared at the prospect of going back to the city. After a lot of internal debating she had finally decided that she should call Stephen and tell him that she was coming. He had sounded happy and they agreed to meet up after she had finished her internship responsibilities.

Later, she had spent a few hours the night before trying to convince herself that she had already distanced herself from him and the whole situation. Which had only freed her mind to think about what was really bothering her about going back. So when she saw him she really believed she had all her emotions under control. That was until he had wondered aloud at dinner what would've happened if they had ever actually gotten together.

She hadn't really answered and he had dropped the subject easily enough, noting her reluctance to say anything on the subject. But for the rest of the night her mind had replayed the words over and over and when she had finally said goodbye to him before leaving she felt like she was right back where she had started.

She couldn't believe how selfish he could be sometimes and how stupid he assumed she was. She knew that something had happened or was going on for him to be focusing his attention on her again and it probably had to do with Kristen. He always seemed to seek her out when he felt all-alone and this time she refused to allow herself to fall victim to his charms or manipulations.

During dinner she had made a point to ask him about Kristen and he had surprised her by mentioning that she had come up and telling her about the Valentine's Day dinner, the revelation that had come a little too late. (I know he didn't mention it but in my story he did.)

She wasn't sure exactly what had happened when Kristen had come up to visit him but she could tell by his vagueness when she asked about it that he didn't want to discuss it. So she had let it go, better to avoid the subject completely than have him once again outright lie to her face. Besides it was what he didn't say that revealed the most.

Another thing that had taken her by surprise was when she had found out that he was moving to LA too. And even though she had joked about him following her she had been blind sighted by the knowledge that he would be so close to her. Not to mention by the fact that somehow they had drifted so far apart that she didn't know these things.

There had been a time before all the drama when he had shared everything with her and she with him. Then she had moved home from San Francisco and it seemed like since then they had grown farther apart. Which if she was honest was probably mostly her fault.

He had never really understood why she had moved home and she had never tried to explain it to him, instead choosing to remain vague about her reasons. Reasons that still haunted her and kept her awake some nights, reasons that she still wasn't ready to face, despite all the time that had passed. Then there were the less than platonic feelings and actions that had just further complicated their once simple relationship.

And now it seemed she couldn't sort out her feelings about Stephen, their friendship, or even what she wanted. She had thought she wanted to stay friends with him but she wasn't sure how that was going to work out if he kept turning to her when he didn't have any other options.

Yet at the same time she knew she wasn't strong enough to just walk away from all the years of friendship they had shared. She was absolutely confused and all the time she had spent convincing herself that she had moved on seemed so wasted now.

Because there was still that spark, still that attraction to him even though she knew that it would probably never work out since it seemed she had never been what he really wanted. So now here she was, off balance and unsure, and wouldn't it just figure that Stephen was coming home for the weekend and wanted to see her.

He had called her up earlier in the night and told her his plans and asked if she would be around. When she had told him yes he had seemed happy and had gotten off the phone saying he would call her as soon as he got into town. Once she had hung up she considered kicking her own ass for being so stupid and not making up an excuse so she wouldn't have to see him.

Because if she wasn't going to be seeing him then she wouldn't be laying awake on her bed at three in the morning, candles all aglow in her room remembering the past and everything she thought she had put behind her.

She wouldn't be wishing that time would rewind and they could just go back to normal, back to the time when it was them against the world. A time when everything wasn't so complicated. Because lately she was getting so tired of constantly masquerading that she was who she used to be and that everything was okay.

Since in reality everything was different, more complex than she ever could have imagined and she would never be the girl she used to be.


	2. What's real

**Here's the next part...I appreciated the feedback so I thought I'd continue even if only one person was reading! Hope you like it!**

_What's real --it terrifies all of us. If you think that anything of any value in this world comes at an easier price -- you're wrong._

Stephen had been lying on his bed for the past three hours trying to fall asleep but he just couldn't stop thinking. It had all started when he had talked to Lauren earlier that night and told her he was coming home. She had sounded so distant and vulnerable, that for a minute all he had wanted to do was just hug her and never let go.

He knew that it was going to be a little weird going back home to Laguna but he was hoping that it would give him a chance to really reconnect with her and put their somewhat tattered friendship back together again. Because she meant more to him than even he understood and he had realized when he saw her again in San Fran that he had really missed her a lot.

Lauren and he had been friends for as long as he could remember and this past year they had drifted apart. He knew that it was partly his fault and he was mad at himself for not doing something about the whole situation sooner. If he had then maybe things wouldn't be as complicated as they were now.

He couldn't change the past though so all he could do was make sure that he didn't continue making the same mistakes. Which was a lesson that had taken him a long time to learn. And in the end it had been Kristen's visit that had made him finally realize and accept that.

He and Kristen's whole relationship had been a giant roller coaster so he was just happy that he had finally gotten the closure that he had needed and relieved that it was really over. When they had first started dating he had known that she wasn't the kind of girl that would make a good girlfriend. In fact, that had been one of the things that had attracted him to her, that still did sometimes. She was a free spirit and he knew that things between them never could've become too serious because of her capricious nature.

The last time he had been home on Valentine's Day and when she had come up to visit he had attempted to recapture the relationship they had once had, all the while knowing deep down that it wasn't Kristen he wanted, just like it wasn't Kristen he had wanted before. Kristen was safe though and she had been a good excuse to ignore what was right in front of his eyes, a great escape.

So it seemed like what he wanted most was what he spent the most time evading, mainly because he was scared. Scared of how deep his feelings really went and terrified of how much it would matter if he messed it up. Because he knew that if it didn't work out then he would be crushed and more than likely he would have no one to blame but himself.

He had thought that when he went off to San Francisco to go to college with Lauren that he might eventually work up the courage to finally give them a chance but nothing had turned out like he thought it would. She had seemed happy to be away from home at first but then things had changed and she had become sullen and unhappy, before announcing that she was going back to Laguna.

He had tried to talk to her about her decision, even change her mind but she had been extremely vague about her reasons. She had also been completely unresponsive to his urgings to give it just a little more time. The fact that she had been so closed off about the whole situation had aggravated and disappointed him at the same time.

For a while he had wondered if maybe it had something to do with them, with him. Maybe she was running away from him and his indecisiveness. He had done nothing the past year, if not lead her on and then push her away time and again. Not because he didn't care, but because he cared too much.

Lauren had always meant a lot to him and she had been his best friend forever. He could tell her more than anyone else in the world and he knew that she would never betray his confidence. She was loyal to a fault and absolutely optimistic yet capable of sarcastic cynicism.

And though she might be a maze of contradictions, it was no secret to those close to her that she was filled with innocence and love. She had always been his rock, giving him advice when he needed it and just listening when he wasn't ready to accept it. She was like his other half, the one person in the entire world that he had ever felt like really understood him.

So because she was so special to him he had always been careful, at least in the past to hold her above the rest of those in his life. Yet somehow in the process he had convinced himself that she was too good for him, too perfect to actually be with. She had become the ideal and he had put her on a pedestal.

She was the future that he wasn't ready for, the dream that he wasn't sure was quite real, that he wasn't sure whether he deserved. She was everything he wanted and that scared the hell out of him.

Then one night he gave into temptation and kissed her. It had been perfect, the "sweetest first kiss" he'd ever had, just like she'd said. It seemed like after that his life became a whirlwind of pulling her close and then pushing her away. And Kristen had been a great distraction, the perfect excuse to use not to face his feelings for LC and a convenient way to keep himself from the temptation of being with Lauren.

Now that things were finally over and done with Kristen, the only thing keeping him from Lauren was the wall that seemed to stand between them lately. The one that he had helped build by keeping his distance and letting her keep hers. The one that had resulted from their lack of real communication and their obvious efforts to avoid more than surface conversation. That wall and his utter denial even to himself at times that he indeed wanted more than friendship from LC was what kept them apart.

Tonight though he had finally faced the real reasons for his actions and he only hoped that it wasn't too late. He was sure that he could tear down the wall that separated them and rebuild their friendship but he wasn't so sure that he still had a chance for more with LC. He knew that she'd been distant and he was scared that she had finally given up waiting on him to get a clue and had moved on.

All he knew for sure was that this time he wasn't going to run away.


	3. He's back

_I had stopped updating this story because I wasn't sure if anyone was reading but now that I see at least a couple people are...here's an update...hope you like!_

-It's rock-paper-scissors as to whether  
I will get over you at all.  
It's hand against hand  
and both hands are mine.-

Lauren could faintly hear someone knocking on the front door from where she sat on her back porch. She figured that it was probably Stephen and she knew she should go and answer it but she couldn't help wanting to pretend like she wasn't aware he was there. Because maybe if she ignored him then he would go away and the sinking feeling in her stomach would disappear along with him.

"Lauren…Stephen's here!" Her dad, Jim, called from inside and she found herself sighing as she pushed herself up from the chair and trudged toward the back door.

"Wonderful. Just wonderful." She muttered as she made her way towards the living room where she figured her dad was now asking Stephen a million questions about what he'd been up to lately.

Her dad had always liked Stephen and Stephen had spent quite a bit of time at her home over the years. The only time her dad had ever been even slightly irritated at him was once when he had found Lauren crying one day after school. When her dad asked her what had happened she had told him that Stephen didn't want to be friends with her anymore because she was "a girl".

They had been in first grade and her dad had immediately taken her over to Stephen's house and talked to him while Lauren sat and ate cookies with his mom. By the time she was done eating Stephen came in with her dad, told her he was sorry and they had never talked about it again. Still she always wondered what her dad had said to him that day. She had asked Stephen about it once and he had merely replied, "He just reminded me how special you were."

She didn't know what had prompted the memory but as she approached the couch where they sat talking it quickly flitted through her mind. Her dad looked up and smiled at her as she reached over the back of the couch and hugged Stephen's neck quickly.

"Hey buddy." She said, as she stepped away from the couch and went to sit on the arm of the chair across from them.

"Hey there. Where were you?" Stephen asked, his look inquisitive as he studied her.

"Outside. I guess I didn't hear you knocking." She replied, not meeting his eyes as she shifted in the chair so she was facing her dad.

"I called." He responded, his tone teasing as he pointed at her before asking, "You weren't ignoring me, were you?"

"You. Never." Lauren joked back, though her heart wasn't in it.

"Well I've got to get going or I'm going to be late to meet your mom for lunch. You kids have fun. Stephen, it's good to have you back. You know you're always welcome here, anytime. See you later, sweetie." Her dad said as he stood, patted Stephen on the shoulder and then crossed over to drop a kiss on Lauren's head before walking out of the room.

"Thanks Jim. Bye." Stephen responded.

"Bye dad." Lauren said, running a hand through her hair before looking up to see Stephen just watching her.

"You okay?" He asked when she quickly averted her gaze.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just tired. I didn't sleep that well last night." Lauren replied, hoping that he would drop it.

"Yeah me neither." Stephen commented, before standing abruptly and walking over to stand in front of her, "So, can I have a real hug now?"

"Well I don't know." Lauren said quietly, tilting her head up so she could see his reaction.

"What?" He asked, confusion and impatience evident in his expression.

"I can only give away so many hugs a day and I'm just not sure if I should use another one on you." She teased, her voice as innocent as the look on her face.

"Very funny, LC." Stephen threw back, reaching down and pulling her up by her upper arms so she was standing in front of him.

"Hey, I'm not trying to be funny. My hugs are special. You've even said so before." She reminded him, pushing him back slightly with one hand on his chest.

"So I'm not special." He inquired, arching his eyebrow as she looked up at him contemplatively.

"I didn't say that." She retorted, beginning to smile despite her best intentions not to.

"So…do I get that hug?" He cajoled, reaching out to touch her chin lightly as he did so.

"I guess." She agreed, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her.

She had intended the hug to be quick and friendly but when she attempted to let go Stephen just pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair, whispering in her ear after what seemed like an eternity which in reality had probably only been a minute, "I missed you so much LC."

Finally gathering the strength to leave the comfort of his embrace she pushed herself back slightly with her hands braced against his shoulders and smiled up at him, "You just saw me a few weeks ago in San Fran," she attempted to joke lightheartedly.

"So what are we gonna do today?" He asked, ignoring her comment and allowing her to back-step out of his arms.

"I don't know. What did you want to do? You're the one who just got back. You sure you don't want to go home and unpack? Or go by and see Dieter?" Lauren asked him, turning to look out the window at the beautiful day outside, "Or maybe go to the beach and surf? It's a nice day out."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Stephen questioned, moving to stand behind LC so he could rest his chin on her shoulder and his hands lightly on her hips as he too looked out the window.

"No…" LC stated unconvincingly before trailing off and falling silent.

"I came over so I could spend some time with you but if you have something you'd rather be doing…I guess I could find something else to do." Stephen said quietly, the disappointment evident in his tone.

"It's not that. I don't have anything else to do. I just wasn't sure whether…never mind…I think we should go to the beach. You can surf or whatever and I can swim and work on my tan. Today's too perfect not to spend outside. Don't you think?" Lauren responded, turning her head sideways to look at Stephen with questioning eyes.

"Absolutely. Going to the beach sounds great. Just like old times." Stephen agreed, squeezing her slightly before stepping away and heading out of the room.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Lauren called out as Stephen disappeared out of sight.

"To get some drinks and the cooler out of your garage while you go change." He yelled from the kitchen where he was assessing the contents of the refrigerator to see if he could bring them something for lunch also.

Lauren shook her head at his roundabout way of telling of her what she should do but headed up to her room anyway to change into her bathing suit. She rummaged around in her drawer looking for the suit she wanted and smiled when she finally found it. The top was brown with pink and white flowers on it and the bottoms were brown with large pink and small white stripes, not to mention a band at the top of the bottoms that was the same design as the top. She had gotten it on sale surprisingly just a few days ago and hadn't worn it yet.

Once she was changed and had pulled her hair into a haphazard ponytail she grabbed her glasses and placed them on her head. Then she went to the hall closet where she got out a few beach towels and carried them back to her room where she put them in her beach-bag along with a thing of sunscreen and some tanning oil. Deciding that if Stephen ended up spending the day surfing she was going to end up on her own, she grabbed a book and stuffed it inside the bag too.

When she was sure she had everything she went over to her shoe closet and slipped on her favorite pair of brown reef sandals. Then she grabbed her sarong and tied it around her waist before picking up the bag and heading downstairs. She figured by now that Stephen would be done filling up the cooler and was probably waiting on her.

"Ready sunshine?" Stephen inquired from the entryway to the kitchen where he emerged with the cooler as she made her way to the front door.

"Did you pack us food for lunch?" She asked, ignoring his sarcasm. He had always liked to tease her about how long it took for her to get ready and she knew that today she hadn't actually taken that long so she decided to not take the bait.

"Yep. I got everything we need. We'll just have to drop by my house so I can grab my board and a pair of shorts." Stephen informed her as he followed her out the door and down the stairs to where his truck was parked.

"Alright. Crap!" Lauren exclaimed as Stephen opened the door for her and she began to climb in his truck.

"What's wrong?" He wondered, noticing the way her nose crinkled for a second before she simply waved her hand at him to dismiss his concern.

"Oh nothing. I forgot my cell phone but it's cool. My dad knows I'm with you so I don't really need it I guess." Lauren explained while Stephen threw the cooler in the bed of the truck before nodding at her answer and walking around to the driver's side to get in.

"Today's going to be fun. I missed this, just me and you, the beach, hanging out." Stephen shared, glancing over at Lauren as he drove towards his house.

"So did I." She acknowledged, not looking at him but staring out the window instead as she did so with an inscrutable look on her face.


	4. Will you forgive me?

Will you forgive me

Will you forgive me?

Can you forget the old me

If you let me

I want to make you mine

I see your face, and suddenly my heart stands still

And when you smile, I'm lost within your perfect world

-Make you mine lyrics by Stryper

"LC…Lauren…" Stephen whispered, nudging her shoulder with his as he looked down the beach and saw Kristen, Jessica and Alex walking towards them.

"Huh?" She mumbled around the bite of sandwich she had in her mouth at the time.

"It's Kristen and them and they're headed right for us." Stephen shared, reaching out to swipe a strand of hair behind her ear that had blown across her mouth.

"Oooh. Wonderful. This should be interesting." Lauren muttered, glancing down the beach where Stephen had been looking moments before.

"Are you done?" He inquired, motioning towards her almost finished sandwich and bag of pretzels.

"Um yeah. Why?" She affirmed, looking at him quizzically.

"Why don't we go for a swim?" He offered, taking her trash from her and shoving it in a plastic bag.

"Didn't your parents ever tell not to go swimming until at least thirty minutes after you eat?" She teased, reaching her hands out to him so he could help her up.

"Of course they did. Just like yours used to every summer." He replied, pulling her to a standing position.

"We never did listen, did we?" She remembered, a wistful smile flitting across her face.

"Nope. We were always getting into trouble." Stephen agreed, smiling too at the childhood memories.

"Well come on let's go before trouble gets here." LC joked, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind her towards the ocean.

"Slow down. LC. I just ate." Stephen complained, jogging behind her despite his protests.

"Big baby." She poked, her voice floating back to him on the wind.

Smirking at her comment he quickened his pace and easily caught up to her. Then he swept her into his arms like a baby and ran the short distance left to the edge of the water. As he splashed into the waves breaking upon the shore she laughed as she wrapped one arm around his neck so he wouldn't be able to just drop her in the water.

Realizing that she probably wasn't going to let go of his neck he continued walking until the water was up to his waist before falling backwards and dunking them both. He felt the water wash over his face and was thankful for the coolness after sitting in the sun for the last hour. A second later he stood up, Lauren still in his arms but now completely wet and definitely sexy as hell.

"Who's the baby now?" He baited, as she punched him in the shoulder and rolled her eyes at his comment.

"Put me down Stephen." She ordered, beginning to squirm in his arms.

"Alright if you insist." He conceded, letting go of her quickly so that she was caught off guard and fell into the water and was dunked once again.

As she reemerged he could tell by the look on her face that the war had begun. Then

the next second she was swimming after him as he tried to get away from her. LC was a pretty good swimmer so she easily caught up to him and wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him sideways as she pushed him under. From his position he grabbed her ankles and pulled her under with him. And so they spent the next few minutes taking turns dunking one another until finally coming to an unspoken truce.

Tired from all the exercise LC laid her head back in the water and pushed her legs to the surface so she was floating. Looking up at the sky she could see that the sun was partially covered by the few clouds that there actually were in the sky. Just being at the beach and letting herself be cradled by the ocean's surface brought her a feeling of peace. A second later she let her eyes close and focused only on the sensation of being free, pushing all conflicting thoughts out of her mind.

Stephen watched as LC lay on top of the water floating. He had never been very good at floating himself even though she had tried to teach him once or twice. He was pretty sure his problem was that he didn't trust the waves to hold him up and so he could never stop trying to stay afloat, in other words he couldn't surrender control. At least that's what she seemed to think when he had asked her once why she could and he couldn't.

Glancing back to the shore he saw no sign of Kristen and sighed in relief. Things were definitely over between them but he knew that despite that fact if she saw him with LC she would do something to make a scene. He just hoped that when the time came he handled the situation right and didn't do anything to cause LC to believe that he was still hung up on her because he wasn't. He just hoped he could convince Lauren of that.

Noticing that she was still floating and had been pulled farther out he swam out to her. Smiling wickedly he decided to test her ability to stay afloat. Reaching out he lightly touched the side of her forehead, causing a drop of water to slide sideways down her face till it disappeared into the water. She opened her eyes questioningly but when he said nothing closed them back. Next, he ran a finger down the middle of her nose. A trail of water left behind began to bead and run over her cheeks before they too disappeared into the water. Still she made no move, this time not even opening her eyes.

Shaking his head at her serene expression he cupped one of her cheeks in his hand as he ran his thumb across her mouth, saltwater slicking her already tempting lips. And as he watched her tongue slip out and lick her lips he realized that maybe this had been a bad idea. But never one to quit something once he had started it he slowly began trailing his fingertips down her stomach starting just under her top. Her stomach compressed as she drew in a surprised breath but a few seconds later her breathing had returned to normal. And she was still afloat, much to his surprise.

Deciding he was going to have to fight dirty he went underwater and once he came up leaned over her so that drops of water fell all over her upper body. Her lips quirked into a smile at his obvious attempt to win the game he had started. He noticed the smile and was immediately struck by how beautiful she was and for a second forgot all about his objective as he leaned forward to kiss her.

Then realizing at the last second that it would be a big mistake to rush her or push things he pressed a gentle kiss to each of her eyelids instead. Noting that this too didn't seem to affect her he was all of a sudden hit with what would. He placed a hand behind her head to draw her attention as he moved the other under her upper back so that he was loosely holding the strings to the top of her bikini. Then all in one quick motion he deftly untied her top, causing her arms to come around to keep it in place.

Stephen had finally succeeded and laughed when LC glared at him before turning her back to him as she tried to tie her top back and said, "You're such a jerk. And that was completely unfair."

"All's fair…" He responded, smirking as she faced him and splashed him with water.

"You're just jealous cause you can't float." She accused, coming closer to him as she did so.

"Is that right?" Stephen questioned sarcastically, wondering what it was she was up to as she got closer.

"That or you were just trying to find a reason to touch me." LC baited, attempting to distract him.

"Yeah or maybe I just wanted you to flash me." Stephen joked, unsure of whether she knew how close to the truth she had been.

In the next instant she was quick as lightning as she took the sand she had gathered in her hand and dropped it down the back of his pants. He didn't even see it coming as her arms went around him and her free hand pulled his pants out just far enough for the sand to fall in. He watched as she moved out of his reach quickly and laughed at him with pure glee.

"Payback's a bitch." She teased, still smiling as she swam off.

He shook his head at her but he knew there was truth to her words. He had pushed her away when he'd had a chance with her and now that he was ready to try he had a feeling that it wasn't going to be easy to convince her to give him a chance.


	5. Then and Now

_"We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans. And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate. It's just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there. Destiny plans a different route, or turns the dream around, as if it were a riddle, and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn't have expected."_

"God I can't believe how good this is." Stephen commented, before shoving another mouthful of steak in his mouth, which caused LC to shake her head at him like he was a little kid again.

"Well there's plenty more. Slow down." She admonished, fixing him with a commanding stare.

"Or what? I'll choke on my food?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows at her before quickly placing another bite in his mouth.

"Nah, I'm not that lucky." LC joked, "These steaks are good though. My dad did a pretty good job."

"He most definitely is an excellente chef." Stephen commended, accentuating his remark by raising his fork in the air for emphasis.

"So now that you've spent all day with me, when do you plan on going home? Doesn't your mom want to see you?" LC wondered aloud, changing the subject.

"You know ever since I got here you've been trying to get rid of me." Stephen accused, trying to keep his tone teasing although he was partly serious and definitely curious why she seemed so anxious for him to leave.

"That's not true." She retorted, biting her bottom lip before continuing, "I had a lot of fun today. It was nice to just chill…just like old times."

"I had fun too." Stephen agreed, before answering her earlier question, "Oh and my parent's are out of town this weekend so no one's really home. I'd be bored out of my mind there."

"I see. I see." LC joked, then realizing the implication of what he'd said offered, "You know you're welcome to stay here tonight. We can have movie night. As long as I get to pick the first one. And of course we need to go get chocolate."

"Definitely a must for movie night. And you can pick the first movie as long as you promise to stay awake for the second one." Stephen commented, referring to her habit of falling asleep on him after the first movie, which was usually her choice.

"Deal. Well I'll try anyway." LC said, sticking out her hand across the table to shake his outstretched one.

Later that night they were both lying on LC's bed watching the second movie that he had picked out, which happened to be a classic that they both liked and had probably seen a hundred times, "Liar Liar." To Lauren's credit and his surprise she was still awake, although her eyes had fallen closed a few times in the last half hour.

Stephen couldn't help noticing how comfortable he felt lying in Lauren's bed as she lay with her head propped on a pillow that she had placed partially on the side of his chest. Both of his hands were above his head and hers were placed gently under the side of her chin. They had long since pulled out the covers and the silk of her sheets felt nice and cool against his slightly windblown and sun-touched skin.

Lauren was exhausted after spending all day in the sun and swimming around but she struggled to keep her eyes open so she could keep her end of the deal. And hopefully so she could usher Stephen to a guest room once the movie was over. She wasn't completely sure why she hadn't insisted that they watch the second movie downstairs in the living room like they had the first. But he had plopped down on her bed when they 'd gone upstairs to find "Liar. Liar." Then she hadn't been able to get him up and had succumbed to his urgings to just put the movie in and lie down.

Finally giving into her body's wishes she let herself fall asleep as Jim Carrey raced to the airport to intercept his ex-wife and son before they left. Stephen smirked slightly when he glanced over a few minutes later and noticed that Lauren's breathing had evened out and that she had in fact fallen asleep. Realizing that he was tired too he reached for the remote and switched off the TV, plunging the room into complete darkness since it was a moonless night.

He knew that he should probably get up and crash in one of the guest rooms but he couldn't manage to even attempt to get up from the bed. He always felt so relaxed and safe in her presence and after spending so much time last night thinking about her, now that he had her so close to him he found he didn't want to go anywhere. In fact, as far as he was concerned if he died at this exact moment he would die a happy man. Moving slowly as not to rouse LC he draped his arm gently around her head and turned his head slightly so that he was just a little closer.

Just as he drifted off he had a fleeting memory of about 10 years back when they had both been around 9 or 10. It was the night they'd created movie night and made all the rules: candy, usually chocolate for LC, two movies and then the sleep-over where they'd use their sleeping bags and usually end up sleeping on her living room or bed room floor. They'd both obviously gotten older but he couldn't help but notice that the only thing that had changed even slightly in their routine was where they slept.

Which in his opinion was not at all a bad change.

**Hey hope someone is reading this. Reviews would be greatly appreciated :)**


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